Bartertown.com

I made a trade about 2 weeks ago, my trade partner finally got the package to me yesterday. The agreed upon trade was for NIB items for NIB items. I verified with him twice, and he said the items were NIB. When I opened the poorly packed box, the items were cut off of the sprue, and missing pieces, not NIB like agreed upon. My trade partner has about a 60 trade rating, he's been around the block a time or two, he knows better. I looked through his feedback and he has attempted the same kind of action before. He will offer NIB items so his items are valued higher, and when you get the package they are not as described. I believe he hopes that you will just get over it, and not want to deal with the issue, and he ends up walking away with a sweet deal.

I now have to go out of my way to adequately pack the box because it was not packed appropriately, I have to pay for insurance, and tracking, because I don't trust this guy, and I want to make sure the package gets back to him. Needless to say I'm pretty irritated. However the situation is being handled, and he is being responsive, so that's good.

My question is this; I feel it is important to keep our community clear of this type of behavior, so I would like to warn others about it. Since I didn't send him my end of the items, and I am simply returning his package, does this count as a negative rating, or should I fill out a bad trader report? Am I even entitled to let people know about this behavior? I have read the FAQ about what constitutes a trade, and BTR vs Negative Trade Reference, I'm just not sure what to do in this instance.

Before you return, ask him why they're not NIB.
Then ask him how he wants to correct the problem. If he wants the models back, he needs to pay. He grossly mis-represented the items. Even Ebay won't allow that.
If he chooses to send more models or pay you some money for you to complete the trade, leave him a neutral; with an explanation.
If he chooses to get the models back, and he pays, leave him a neutral with an explantaion.
Otherwise, he gets a negative.

Thank you Sir!

I agree with kt.
If you haven't sent your items, yo're in a position of some power. HE needs to make it right.
It's not okay for you to have to spend your money to fix his "mistake." I would take photos of EVERYTHING and repack it in the same box he sent in, with the same packing materials. Get it weighed and find out how much to ship to him and what insurance will cost. Once I had that info, I'd PM him, tell him what was wrong, and tell him it will cost $X to have his box returned to him or $X+Y to have it insured. I would also say that, by opting out of insurance, HE is agreeing to accept all responsibility for any lost or damaged items.
What happened is a gross violation of our posted trade rules. Period. Full stop.

When all was done, I'd leave him a negative. No neutrals here. Negative only.

If you sent first (comparing ratins, I'm hoping you didn't), you might have to go into "Full BTR" mode for resolution. Presuming all communications coincide with what you told us here, though, you certainly appear to have a case that will have BT siding with you.

Eric